Surface Design Journal - Spring 2016 by Surface Design Association

The importance and impact of art made with textiles and fibers is greatly advanced by support from non-profit organizations, cultural institutions, government agencies, schools, and private donations. Thoughtful research and writing about trends, innovations, textile history, and works of both historic and contemporary art increase the overall understanding—and appreciation—of the entire field, paving the way for all practitioners. In this issue, we share stories of several artists from around the world who have been able to pursue—and share—their artistic visions with the aid of grants, fellowships, and artist-inresidence opportunities. Ann Morton of Phoenix, Arizona, and Marianne Penberthy of Western Australia, received awards for their community oriented site-specific works included in the juried SDA Members’ Materialities exhibition and catalog produced last fall in concert with the SDA Craft + Concept Intensive 2015: Made/Aware: Socially Engaged Practices at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Before the conference, I visited Marilyn Zapf, Assistant Director at the Center for Craft, Creativity & Design (CCCD) in nearby Asheville, North Carolina. This forward-thinking non-profit has gifted over $1 million during the past decade to artists, curators, historians, conservators, educators, and students for an incredible range of craft-based research-driven projects. My CCCD tour included Marilyn’s curatorial endeavor Made in WNC for a closer look at several fashion and product designers from the region dedicated to bringing sustainable textile and clothing production back to the US. I first learned of Marianne Penberthy’s fascinating fiber-inspired earthworks during her talk at the August 2014 Korea Bojagi Forum on Jeju Island. Although her desert installations are made with non-traditional fiber materials and techniques, the work is rooted in research on textile-arts traditions and her travel is funded by grants. Last spring, I met a remarkable group of artists, designers, historians, curators, writers, and material science researchers at the 17th European Textile Network (ETN) Conference in Leiden, Netherlands. Nicole Roepers, Conservator and Curator of Contemporary Art, introduced the avid ETN crowd to the New Leiden Cloth project underway

Marci touring the inspirational Made in WNC exhibition with curator and Assistant Director Marilyn Zapf at the Center for Craft, Creativity & Design in Asheville, North Carolina, October 2015.

at the nearby historic Museum de Lakenhal. On two follow up visits to the museum to learn more, I marveled at the stunning array of both new and historic textile samples on display, spanning centuries of innovative local design and impeccable production. The Transgressing Traditions theme of this issue is captured in spirit by the sensational work of “Heavy Metal Quilter” and cover artist Ben Venom, elaborate gender-bending reinterpretations of famous paintings by Niki Granguth and James Kinser, sculptural works made of woven and stitched paint by Margie Livingston, and knitted glass by Carol Milne. It is also the theme of SDA’s 2nd International Juried Members’ exhibition Transgressing Traditions: Contemporary Textiles by the Surface Design Association. Featuring 66 works chosen from 671 submitted by 267 members (representing 36 US states and 9 countries), the show will be on display at Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, New York (June 3–August 21, 2016). The Exposure section in this issue introduces just a few of the many new SDA members who joined to submit their work for consideration. Welcome, one and all!

Marci Rae McDade journaleditor@surfacedesign.org www.surfacedesign.org

COVER CREDIT: BEN VENOM Iron Fist Detail, recycled fabric, machine quilting, 60" x 95", 2015. Photo by the artist. Spring2016

Surface Design Journal

features 06

On the Fringe with Ben Venom by Leora Lutz

Marianne Penberthy: Flour on the Ground by Amanda Rowland

Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America

by Stefanie Gerber Darr and Jo Stealey

Fueling the Fires of Craft and Creativity by Sara Clugage

Ann Morton: Fiber Processes as Social Practice by Bhakti Ziek

47 36

Muse: Niki Grangruth and James Kinser by Ann Wiens

Margie Livingston: A Textile Point of View by Elizabeth A. Brown

New Leiden Cloth by Nicole Roepers

Embodying the Innovative: Laura Thomas, Fay McCaul and Stephanie Tudor by Ian Wilson

Surface Design Journal

Spring 2016 Volume 40 Number 1

departments 58

Exposure A gallery of recent work by new SDA Members

On Display Sew What? The Bridge Project: Installation by Jeila Gueramian Stories of Migration: Contemporary Artists Interpret Diaspora Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear Creative Crossroads: The Art of Tapestry Seeking Higher Ground: Installation by Patte Loper #techstyle Focus: Fiber 2016

In Review The Shape of Light: Gabriel Dawe Lindsay Rhyner: Material Worlds Transformations: Homage to Nancy MacKenzie

Emerging Voices Catherine Reinhart

74 74

In the Studio Carol Milne

First Person Juliet Martin

On the Fringe with Ben Venom

b y

Ben Venom makes quilts, and he isn’t afraid to say so. For him, it is not so much about gender bending with the medium as it is an ethic. The notion of gender bending has particularly humorous pop-culture roots for Venom, grappling with identity in his pre-teens as all youth do. “Hair metal bands of the late 1980s were particularly fascinating,” he laughs in an interview with Surface Design. “The long hair and the makeup, and skinny jeans before they were popular—these dudes were

L e o r a

L u t z

hooking up with all the hot chicks after the concerts! I love that extreme level of absurdity—hot babes attracted to dudes that look like hot babes that play really obnoxious music about banging hot chicks. WTF!?” Growing up in Atlanta where his father was fixing things all the time engrained a strong work ethic at an early age, and the punk rock scene of the 1990s added a new layer of DIY coupled with rebelliousness and thinking outside the mainstream.

Surface Design Journal

“My work is a collision of fine art, craft, and what I call the fringes of society,” he said. By fringes he is referring to heavy metal, punk rock, motorcycle clubs, mysticism, folk art, paganism and the like, whose representational elements and stylistic symbolism imbue Venom’s design sensibility. More importantly, they fuel the ideology that propels Venom to be creative. “I want my art to live on that razor’s edge, that place where something new happens, where you shoot opposing forces at each other.” This conviction makes Venom one of the more prolific and recognized contemporary quilt artists, blending traditional methods with subculture iconography. He is self-taught in quilt making, learning from basic sewing books through trial and error. It really doesn’t get more DIY than that, and his love of music has earned him the colloquial moniker The Heavy Metal Quilter. He does all of the work himself in his apartment in the historic HaightAshbury neighborhood of San Francisco. In 2011, Venom was included in the Bay Area Now 6 (BAN6) survey exhibition at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. It was his public debut into the foray of gender bending, heavy metal-themed functional piecework quilts, and his first chance to show a very large piece. See You on the Other Side! (2011) feaLEFT: BEN VENOM at his Artist in Residency exhibition, Thrill of it All, on display in Kimball Gallery at the de Young Museum, San Francisco, 2015. Photo: Randy Dodson.

Spring2016

tures an intricate center composition of a skull surrounded by slithering pythons, gaping jaws, blazing forked tongues, and pointy fangs within a black circle on a white field. Above the center are two lightning bolts, a classic rock and roll insignia representing amplification and energy of the music. Made from upcycled heavy metal tshirts—which are a mainstay in Venom’s textile toolbox—the work is a monumental example of his commitment to craft and his ideology of maintaining a strong voice and perspective with his work. Venom studied printmaking at San Francisco Art Institute, where he received his MFA in 2007. While printmaking at SFAI, he worked with the themes of flags and banners, silkscreening on objects that he cut and machine-sewed together. In 2006, he saw The Quilts of Gee's Bend exhibition at the deYoung Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The seminal historical archive includes quilts from Boykin, Alabama, also known as Gee’s Bend where the collection originates. Venom was particularly struck by the tradition of using old clothing to make quilts, especially when considering the poverty of the community. Many of the pieces incorporate cut up jeans worn by the men who worked the fields or the Alabama River that bisects the region. ABOVE: BEN VENOM Die Last Jean jacket, patch made with recycled fabric, machine stitching, 28" x 20", 2013. LEFT: BEN VENOM making his quilt Don’t Tread on Me in his San Francisco studio, 2015. Photo: Megan Gorham. 7

“I want my art to live on that razor’s edge, that place where something new happens, where you shoot opposing forces at each other.” Denim is also a staple rock and roll textile, stemming from the working class origins of the movement, and this material connection resonated with Venom. From this inspiration, he made his first quilt in 2008 using old punk rock tshirts he had laying around. The shift from printmaking to quilting was a natural transition. Both mediums involve a meticulous set of systems and order from beginning to end. Each involves creating smaller visual components that, layered together, create the final piece. “I like to be involved in things that are beyond fifteen steps,” Venom says. “I get into a state of nirvana, wrapped up in the process.” Ultimately, he gravitated more and more toward the functional aspects of quilting. Venom was an artist-in-residence at the deYoung in May 2015—the same museum that inspired his new direction after seeing the Gee’s Bend quilts. This was an opportunity for him to

begin melding concepts of re-appropriation, sharing economy, upcycling, and heavy metal quilting all into one project. The idea was to complete large-scale works using fabric donated by the general public, and working in the museum gallery space in plain sight. “By stitching used clothing into a unified piece, the quilts display a multitude of personal histories. Everyone's unexplained stains, tears, or rips will be included and when displayed, visitors will be able to see a piece of themselves sewn into a functional quilt,” the show statement explained. The title of his residency was Thrill of It All, and it was an experience beyond anything that he could have imagined. But the real love and dedication to functionality can be seen in his extensive work with jackets, which evolved during the residency. Artists-in-residence at the deYoung are required to work in the gallery space to engage with

BEN VENOM in front of his quilt See You on the Other Side! in the exhibition Bay Area Now 6 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, 2011. Photo: Margo Moritz. 8

Surface Design Journal

ABOVE: BEN VENOM Iron Fist Recycled fabric, machine quilting, 60" x 95", 2015. Photos by the artist. BELOW: BEN VENOM Once Bitten Twice Shy Recycled fabric, machine quilting, 43" x 69", 2015.

visitors during First Friday Nights. On a whim, Venom decided to invite people to bring in a jacket and he would sew a patch on for them. He thought, “When do you get to go to a museum and walk out of it wearing a piece of art for free?!” The idea exploded in popularity. He sewed a specially designed silkscreen patch on over 175 jackets. It was Venom’s way of giving back to the community that so generously donated personal items to the cause: band shirts from their first concerts, favorite rock band tees now too threadbare to wear, remnant fabric from their own projects. The jacket portion of the experience became the key to expanding Venom’s commitment to functionality. In true DIY form, the used jackets are emblazoned with elaborately embroidered patchwork insignias covering the entire back panels. Venom has worked on dozens of jackets, in keeping with the Punk Rock ethos to dismantle existing fashion, which reappropriates one’s own unique messages and cultural iconography. The customized jackets stay true to the community-building and sharing economy of the DIY mind-set, which is at the heart of why he enjoys making them. Though one could theoretically use a Venom quilt, they often become cherished heirlooms or are treated as fine art, kept safe in collections, or hung on the wall as tapestries. Quilting has a long community history aspect, such as with quilting bees, but since Venom makes all of the work himself, he involves the community by receiving materials from them. Quilting has a history of being created predominantly by women, whereas sewn and decorated jackets are very much a Punk Rock idea, made by both men and Spring2016

BEN VENOM Fly by Night Recycled heavy metal t-shirts, leather, denim, machine quilting, 59" x 83", 2013. Photo by the artist.

BEN VENOM All the Aces Recycled fabric, machine quilting, 105" x 95", 2014. Photo by the artist.

BEN VENOM Fly Like an Eagle Recycled fabric, machine quilting, 33" x 33", 2014. Photo by the artist.

Surface Design Journal

BEN VENOM In to the Sun Recycled fabrics, machine quilting, 59" x 83", 2013. Photo by the artist.

women since its inception in the late 1970s. “For me there isn’t a big difference between the quilts and the jackets in terms of gender. At the end of the day, the fusion of art, fashion, and functionality interests me. I see the jackets as functional quilts in a sense,” he explains. He also is drawn to the idea of “anti-functionality.”“It’s a kind of Dada mentality. For example, I make quilts so large that they are actually not very practical—they are absurd functional objects!” Venom wants people to use his art, and jackets are a way to do that more readily. His creative practice offers the community an opportunity to have their cherished and worn items cycled back into the collective consciousness rather than being thrown away. “A piece of your DNA and a piece of my DNA has gone into this. So the work is not just mine, it’s ours,” he says. Since the BAN6 show in 2011, Venom has shown at major museums and galleries across the globe, including the Levi Strauss Museum in Buttenheim, Germany, and HPGRP Gallery in Tokyo, Japan. He also keeps busy with commission projects, such as a series of panels that will be appropriated for skate deck imagery by Creature Skateboards and limited edition collaborative tshirts for OBEY clothing. Over time, Venom’s work has become more refined and detailed, as new opSpring2016

portunities have allowed for creativity and ideas to flow. “Coming from the punk rock scene, it’s not about being the best, the best drummer, the best guitarist—it’s about doing it—being about it. That’s what I try to stay true to.” Ben Venom’s work is included in: Man-Made: Contemporary Male Quilters at the International Quilt Study Center & Museum, University of Nebraska—Lincoln (through June 19, 2016). A full-color catalog is available. www.quiltstudy.org 2nd Annual EMA Show curated by Hellion Gallery, Portland, OR, at Galerie Artistik Rezo, Paris, France (through June 21, 2016). www.helliongallery.com www.galerieartistikrezo.com Constructed Communication at the Museum of Craft and Design, San Francisco, CA (through August 7, 2016). www.sfmcd.org You can follow him on Instagram at @benvenom. www.benvenom.com

—Leora Lutz is a San Francisco Bay Area writer and artist. She has published articles since 2005 for numerous Bay Area and Los Angeles publications, galleries, artists and museums. She is the editor and founder of Glossary Magazine. www.leoralutz.com 11

E POSURE MAGGIE SASSO Milwaukee, Wisconsin Overboard Cotton, poly-vinyl, packing material, rope, wood, brass hardware, framed photograph, fabric construction, free-hand machine embroidery, knot tying, photography, 12' x 8' x 4', 2014. Photos: Adam Horwitz. www.maggiesasso.com Detail BELOW.

VICTORIA MAY Santa Cruz, California Study in Convulsion #4: distended Tire inner tube, thread, piping cord covered with polyester and silk, treated w/discharge or rust-stained, machine stitching, 12" x 35" x 26", 2014. Photo by the artist. www.vicmay.com

ILEANA SOTO Ruxton, Maryland Ancestors: Unplanned Occurrences Textile transparent paint printed on hand-dyed Pima and Kona cotton with original Thermofax screen designs, machine stitching, 48" x 24", 2015. Quilter: Angie Woolman. Photo: Dana Davis. www.ileanasoto.com 58

Surface Design Journal

WENDY IVES Newfield, New York The Mantises 100% organic wool,natural dyes, wet felting 15" x 54", 2015. Photo: Jon Reis. www.wendyfeltart.wordpress.com

CAROL REED Carlisle, Pennsylvania Thing 2 Wool, copper, cotton, hemp, recycled cotton, wood, paint, metal, weaving, sewing, dyeing, painting 12" x 9" x 3", 2016. Photo by the artist. www.carolreed.org

Artists represented on the “Exposure” pages are members of the Surface Design Association (SDA). This issue features new members who have submitted work to be considered for Transgressing Traditions: Contemporary Textiles by the Surface Design Association. The goal of SDA’s second international juried members’ exhibition is to showcase contemporary fiber art that expands on traditional media and meaning, pushing the boundaries and traditions of textiles and fibers. Jurors include Dorie Millerson, Karen Hampton, and Donna Lamb. Transgressing Traditions will be on display at Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in Auburn, New York (June 3–August 21, 2016). www.schweinfurthartcenter.org www.surfacedesign.org

Spring2016

NATALIE MCLEOD Wellington, New Zealand Staurosira Construens Acrylic, aluminium, LED lights, laser cut and etched, 106.2" x 106.2", 2014. Photo: Andrew Jackson.

i nr eview Newark, New Jersey Reviewed by Patricia Malarcher

The Shape of Light: Gabriel Dawe Newark Museum Gabriel Dawe’s prismatic installations, conjured from miles of plain sewing thread, imbue architectural spaces with cathedral-like illumination. Their power to elicit spontaneous response was evident at the entrance to Dawe’s solo exhibition at the Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey (September 19, 2015–January 10, 2016). As visitors approached the radiance of Plexus no. 30, they slowed down, stopped, and stood back in admiration before moving forward. A dazzling “X” encompassing the chromatic spectrum from yellows through blues, Plexus 30 was like a massive web stretched floor to ceiling. Two planes of linear elements were readily perceptible, fanning out as they rose diagonally, intersected, and continued upward. A video followed its construction as a long thin rod led threads from industrial spools to hooks in strips of wood on the floor and suspended from the ceiling. A diagram on display recorded the systematic labor-intensive process. Yet, this detailed disclosure of process did not dispel mystery: how could the material substance of thread dissolve into magical immaterial light? Light of a contrasting character filled a second gallery. There, the black walls and ceiling created an illusion of unearthly, unbounded space. From opposite directions, threads in electric blues and purples streaked upward and across the room, climaxing in a peak at the top. Charging the space with silent energy, Plexus no. 31 affirmed Dawe’s ability to collaborate with architecture. Add Dawe to the scores of artists who have set themselves the challenge of capturing light. It was not accidental that Plexus no. 30 recalled how light transmitted through stained glass casts color on interior surfaces. Dawe grew up in Mexico City, and acknowledges the influence of luminous interiors in Catholic churches there.

GABRIEL DAWE Plexus no. 30 Site-specific installation at the Newark Museum, Gütermann thread, hook, wood, 199" x 238" x 183", 2015. Photo © Pierce Jackson. ©Gabriel Dawe.

Within the past five years, works in the Plexus series have transformed museum and corporate spaces across the US, in Canada, and parts of Europe. Dawe is among nine prominent artists recently invited to create room-sized works at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, to celebrate its postrenovation reopening.1 In Newark, however, his show rewarded viewers with a broader spread of his accomplishments. A selection of small obsessively rendered objects and wall pieces (representing aspects of Dawe’s early work) occupied a third exhibition area. In the Fear Series, black silhouettes of insects, larger than life, were densely embroidered on flat GABRIEL DAWE Fear of Being Different Hand embroidery on fabric, 8.5" x 17.5", 2007. Courtesy of the artist and Conduit Gallery, Dallas, TX. ©Gabriel Dawe.

Surface Design Journal

GABRIEL DAWE Game Theory no. 7 Ink and graphite on paper, 32" x 32", 2015. Courtesy of the artist and Conduit Gallery, Dallas, TX. ©Gabriel Dawe. GABRIEL DAWE Plexus no. 31 Site-specific installation at the Newark Museum. Gütermann thread, wood, nails, 181" x 384" x 302", 2015. ©Gabriel Dawe. Photo © Pierce Jackson. Detail LEFT TOP.

sections of garments. The uneasy juxtaposition of worrisome creatures and clothes associated with everyday life—e.g., checked cotton work shirts—was somewhat ambiguous, but wall text stated the artist’s intent to express how fear of the uncontrollable pervades a person’s life. Clothing is also fundamental to the Pain Series in which Dawe more overtly exploits the visual/visceral impact of his materials. For example, Intolerance consists of vintage army pants obsessively pierced by masses of pins. The shine of densely packed pinheads on the outside recalled festive costume, such as for Mexican Carnaval. Inside, pinpoints collectively resembling fur conveyed the feel of sharpness penetrating skin. While in the 1960s, Lucas Samaras achieved similar effects with pins in multi-media constructions, Dawe’s pieces lend themselves to psychological interpretations. Throughout this series, luxurious fabric and glitter, as well as Dawe’s flawless craftsmanship, seduced the eye while implying the pain that results from a split between a façade of conformity and one’s inner self. Rounding out the exhibition were large digital prints, three of which quietly glowed in recessed arches in the museum’s atrium. Those could simply be read as pleasant repeats reminiscent of traditional fabric design. In fact, they referred to patterns of behavior translated into the mathematics of game theory. To paraphrase Frank Stella’s oft-quoted dictum, with Dawe’s works, whether substance disappears or eloquently speaks, what you see is only part of what you get. www.newarkmuseum.org 1Gabriel

Dawe’s exhibition Wonder is on display at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC (specific installations close on May 8, 2016 and July 10, 2016). www.americanart.si.edu

GABRIEL DAWE Intolerance Vintage army pants and pins, 30" x 18" x 12.5", 2011. Private Collection, Dallas. ©Gabriel Dawe. Spring2016

—Based in Englewood, New Jersey, Patricia Malarcher is an artist, arts writer, independent curator, and former editor of Surface Design Journal.

w h o ’ s

w h o

Surface Design Association

P.O. Box 20430 Albuquerque, NM 87154 info@surfacedesign.org surfacedesign.org

Surface Design Journal is a quarterly publication

of the Surface Design Association, a non-profit educational organization.

Executive Director

Danielle Kelly executivedirector@surfacedesign.org

SURFACE DESIGN ASSOCIATION Our Vision: To inspire creativity, encourage innovation, and

Surface Design Journal Editor

Marci Rae McDade 503.477.7015 journaleditor@surfacedesign.org

advocate for artistic excellence as the global leader in textile-inspired art and design. Our Mission: To promote awareness and appreciation of

Editor, SDA Digital Publications

Leesa Hubbell newslettereditor@surfacedesign.org Web Site Manager

LM Wood web@surfacedesign.org

textile-inspired art and design through member-supported benefits, including publications, exhibitions, and conferences. Our Objectives:

Surface Design Journal Art Director

Dale E. Moyer graphics@surfacedesign.org Advertising Manager

Trevi Fountain 602.626.5891 advertising@surfacedesign.org Member Communications Administrator

Gerrie Congdon 503.788.3322 membercommunications@surfacedesign.org Printed in Hanover, Pennsylvania

The Sheridan Press www.sheridan.com

• To provide opportunities for learning, collaboration, and meaningful affiliations • To mentor and support emerging artists, designers, and students • To inform members about the latest developments and innovations in the field • To recognize the accomplishments of our members • To encourage critical dialogue about our field • To inspire new directions in fiber and textiles • To raise the visibility of textiles in the contemporary art world SUBSCRIPTION / MEMBERSHIP

Executive Board:

President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Astrid Bennett Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer Reis Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Teddy Milder Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joyce Martelli Board:

Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeanne Beck Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marianne Biagi Director . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Diane Franklin Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vivian Mahlab Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margaret Miller Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elena Rosenberg President Emeritus:

Jason Pollen

The Surface Design Association membership: $75 a year ($35 for student with ID); $40 ($20 student) of each member’s dues shall be for a year’s subscription to Surface Design Journal. Subscriptions are available only to members. Outside USA: add $12 for Canada and $20 for all other countries. US funds only. Send Subscription/Membership correspondence to:

Surface Design Association, P.O. Box 20430 Albuquerque, NM 87154. Visa/Mastercard accepted. To Subscribe Online, visit: surfacedesign.org/membership. ©2016 Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Surface Design Journal (ISSN: 0197-4483) is published quarterly by the Surface Design Association, Inc., a non-profit educational organization. Publications Office: 2127 Vermont Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87110. Periodicals postage paid at Albuquerque, NM, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Surface Design Journal: Sub-

scriptions, P.O. Box 20430 Albuquerque, NM 87154.

Surface Design Journal

hz d,/^ /^^h :K/E dK ^h ^ Z/